Abandoned

“They abandoned Yahweh and did not worship Him.” ~Judges 10:6b HCSB

In the book of Judges the Israelites were always worshiping other gods and abandoned the Lord.  This is replayed over and over again.  God than allows an enemy to rise up and attack the Israelites, who in turn cry out to God to save them.  God rises up a judge who rescues the people.  The judge lives a long good life and dies.  As soon as the judge is gone the people turn away from the Lord and it starts all over again.  How does this apply to us today and why should we care?    

We come to Christ and we are excited about knowing Him, growing in Him.  Life is exciting, we are learning new things, we are experiencing something fresh and then something happens.  We soon realize this isn’t as easy as it looks and we abandon God and do not worship Him.  Our own wants and needs become our primary goal.  So we worship at the altar of self.  This might go one for a while and then life happens, a death, cancer, a lost job, or divorce.  We find out how ill equipped we are to handle it all.  It is usually about this time we turn back to the Lord to see us through and most of the time He does.  Then when things calm down, we turn back to the altar of self and repeat the cycle all over again.  But if we stay in fellowship with the Lord things would be so different.  

If we were to give God the chance to grow us in Him, to mature us into His image, life would be different.  We would not be shaken by circumstances. He would teach us how to get through the hard times.  He would use those difficulties to build our faith in Him, so not matter what happens we would know God is in control.  We would have peace that goes beyond understanding in everything.  When we turn from God and do things our own way, we miss out on the greatest opportunities in heaven.  The opportunity of purpose, the opportunity of reaching our full God given potential, God’s plan and purpose for our lives.  We miss the opportunity to a life well lived to the glory of God. 

Lord help us to stay in You.  We are so weak and we find ourselves many times turning to our own hearts and abandoning You.  Lord forgive us of these times and surround us with people who will help us to stay focused in You.  Most of all Lord change our hearts, strengthen us, build us, use us to glorify your name. Amen

Excuses

"But I will be with you," the LORD said to him. "You will strike Midian down as if it were one man." ~Judges 6:16 HCSB

Gideon is threshing wheat in a wine vat.  He is hiding, trying not to be discovered by the Midianites who come every harvest and steal the Israelites grain.  This was wasn’t the work for a man in his time and an Angel of the Lord appears to him and said: “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior”.  Seeing Gideon hiding in a wine vat doing the work of a woman, the Angel calls him “mighty warrior”.  Then Gideon goes on to explain how God delivered the people of Israel from Egypt but has abandoned them now to Midian.  The Angel tells Gideon to go in the strength you and deliver Israel, and closes with “Am I not sending you?”  Gideon says I’m weak, my family is weak, and how can I do this?  “But I will be with you," the LORD said to him”.  

Isn’t just like us to be given a task to accomplish something for Lord and we come up with a dozen excuses to why we cannot.  Gideon has The Angel of the Lord in front of him.  This is no ordinary Angel, He speaks as God, He is called Lord.  Gideon realizes this in verse 22 and declares, “oh no, Lord God!  I have seen the Angel of the Lord face to face!”  But when Gideon was given the task of leading Israel to defeat the Midianites he came up with every reason to why he couldn’t.  Here is what Gideon missed and what we miss so often.  God gave Gideon this huge challenge and did not say he had to do it on his own.  No the Angel of the Lord said, “But I will be with you”.  God gives us the task and gives us the ability.  He doesn’t ask you to accomplish something and not give you the ability it to carry it out, He qualifies the unqualified.  By doing so, you will not be able to say, “I did this”, no you will only be able to say, glory to God for He is mighty and has done a mighty thing.”  What has God called you to accomplish that you have made excuses not to do? Trust God today!  

Lord help us to trust you when you send us to accomplish your will.  Lord let us not be overwhelmed with our reasons why we can’t and let us see the opportunity to glorify you.  Lord help us obey you in everything.  Lord we trust you and you are mighty, nothing is impossible for you.  We thank you for everything you do in our lives, help to glorify you in everything we do and say!  Amen  

Victory

“I am Yahweh your God. Do not fear the gods of the Amorites whose land you live in. But you did not obey Me” ~Judges 6:10 HCSB

In the book of Judges, in the Old Testament God would hand the Israelites over to an enemy to bring them back to Him. God then would rise up judges to lead the people to victory and for a time the people would have peace.  In this case it is the Midianites that are oppressing the people and God is about to rise up Gideon, one of my favorite of the judges.  But the question I can’t help to think about is, did the people need judges at all?  We know the reason for the judges “The Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the LORD” (Judges 6:1 

So the people in Israel are in a cycle of sin.  They sin, God rises up an enemy to oppress them and they call out to God.  God rises up a judge and defeats the enemy and the people have peace, the people sin again and it starts all over. As I think about this I realize we still do the same thing today.  We allow sin to come into our lives, we compromise.  Sin does what it does best, kills relationships with God and others, steals our joy and destroys our peace and we cry out to God for forgiveness and repent.  But we don’t stop there we find something else to compromise with and it starts all over again.  The great thing about being a Christian is that the cycles of sin can be broken through Christ.  “So, you too consider yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 6:11)  By putting our faith in Christ, keeping our eyes on Christ, allowing Christ to live through us, Christ can defeat sin in our lives.  It is by living in this great gift of grace that the cycle of sin can be broken. 

O victory in Jesus,
My Savior, forever.
He sought me and bought me
With His redeeming blood;
He loved me ere I knew Him
And all my love is due Him,
He plunged me to victory,
Beneath the cleansing flood.

Lord I thank you for your Son Jesus Christ.  Through Him I can have victory over sin once and for all.  Lord please forgive me of my sin and Lord I repent and turn to you.  I pray you would help me to live victoriously in You and You alone.  Lord help to share You with others!  Amen!    

   

Sermon: My Lord, My God! John 20:24-29

Audio can be downloaded here First Baptist Chruch of Rocklin

This morning we are here to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  It is through the resurrection that Christ defeated sin and death once and for all.  This Friday I was reminded about death, I learned a man very close to our family had suddenly passed away.  At that time I was overwhelmed with shock.  I was reminded of the sing of death.  He was a very good man, he has a great family.  I have known all them most of my life.  He was my step-father’s best friend.  Life will not be the same without Mike around.  

Death isn’t natural, it isn’t supposed to happen.  We die because sin has entered the world.  In times like this I think about Jesus as he approached the tomb of Lazarus, the people where weeping and Jesus became angry.  Jesus wept and became angry because He knew how much pain and suffering death and sin brings.  Jesus came to take away sin and to give us a new life in Him and because of the resurrection we have this new life.  We were not saved by a dead savior but one who is alive.  Jesus died and was buried, and on the third day arose again according to the scripture.  

So those who put their faith in Christ, those who believed, death has no hold on them.  Though we die, we will rise again!  This is the living hope!  This hope changed the followers of Jesus.  It is what gives us hope, when someone suddenly dies and rips a huge hole in our lives.  The resurrection is all you can hang on to, the resurrection changes everything!        

       

The Resurrection

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the single greatest event to ever take place!  It is the greatest event in heaven and on earth, the prophets spoke about it and the angles marveled at the incredible display of grace.  Nothing compares to it.  God touched the earth, lived and died for our sin.  He was buried and rose again, because of this His name is lifted up to the highest point in heaven.  Everything is put under His feet, to the glory of the Father! 

Paul said about the resurrection “if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.” ~1 Corinthians 15:17 HCSB

Without the resurrection Paul says, “we should be pitied more than anyone.”

~1 Corinthians 15:19 HCSB

But Christ did rise again and Christianity stands or falls on this single point, it is the most important fact Christians should believe in.  There are many evidences of the resurrection and is an actual historical event, this is not a myth.  There is the Old Testament Scriptures, the empty tomb verified by many witnesses.  There is the gospels and Paul himself. But one of the greatest evidences of the resurrection was its impact on the disciples themselves. This morning I want to focus on them and especially one in particular, Thomas.   

When we think about Thomas the first word that comes to mind is ‘doubting’, doubting Thomas.  It is a name that has stuck.  I posed this question on Facebook and got back some interesting comments.  “He doubted, but was honest.”  “He got a bad rap.” One person said her mom would sing her a song that went, “why worry when you can pray. Trust Jesus, He'll be your stay. Don't be a Doubting Thomas, lean only on His promise. Why worry, worry, worry, worry when you can pray.” Another person commented he must have been from Missouri, “The Show Me” State.  Lastly, He was a realist, practical.

No doubt, Thomas was an interesting man.  When we read about him several events stand out.  The first he seemed very courageous in John 11:16, where said he was willing to go to Judea and die with the Lord.  John 14:5 he seemed very spiritual minded wanting to know the truth, we wasn’t afraid to ask questions.  Lastly, Thomas makes one of the most profound statements made by any of the disciples. 

So this morning I want to take a closer look at this last event and I hope you walk away with a different view of Thomas, but most of all you will in your heart profoundly declare Jesus, “My Lord, My God”!    

 “But one of the Twelve, Thomas (called "Twin"), was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples kept telling him, "We have seen the Lord!" But he said to them, "If I don't see the mark of the nails in His hands, put my finger into the mark of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will never believe!" After eight days His disciples were indoors again, and Thomas was with them. Even though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them. He said, "Peace to you!" Then He said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and observe My hands. Reach out your hand and put it into My side. Don't be an unbeliever, but a believer." Thomas responded to Him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said, "Because you have seen Me, you have believed. Those who believe without seeing are blessed."  (Joh 20:24-29 HCSB)

Jesus Appears

The very first verse reminds us that Thomas was not with the other disciples when Jesus appeared to them the first time.  We know from Scripture that on the first day of the week, Sunday there was five Resurrection appearances: Mary Magdalene, the other women, Peter, the two Emmaus disciples, and disciples minus Thomas.  It was the ‘following’ Sunday Jesus met with the disciples again.   

          -Commissioned v.19-22

The first meeting with the disciples is recorded in verse 19-22, “In the evening of that first day of the week, the disciples were gathered together with the doors

locked because of their fear of the Jews. Then Jesus came, stood among them, and said to them, "Peace to you!" Having said this, He showed them His hands and His side. So the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you." After saying this, He breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit.” 

(Joh 20:19-22 HCSB)

The disciples were hiding behind locked doors when Jesus stood among them.  He says, Peace to you.  He encouraged them. He knew they had been terrified by the events that had just taken place.  They were all confused and yet with the different reports, I’m sure hopeful the stories were true, Jesus was truly raised from the dead. Suddenly Jesus is standing right in front of them.  He shows them his wounds and the disciples rejoiced!  Again Jesus says peace and commissions them, “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you”.

He breaths on them and says receive the Holy Spirit.  I think Jesus did this to show the disciples and the way they would receive the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.  In Acts 2:2 says, “Suddenly a sound like that of a violent rushing wind came from heaven, and it filled the whole house”. 

It must have amazed these men, that Jesus would appear to them, encourage them and commission them.  Jesus wanted them to represent Him and go out into the world and share Him.  These men who had forsaken Jesus, these men who fled and had failed Jesus was now going to be entrusted with sharing Him with the world!   What an incredible thought, what great joy these men must have felt!  And Thomas missed it all.  So the question becomes where was Thomas?

          -Where is Thomas?

Where was Thomas? Was he so disappointed that he didn’t want to be with his friends.  Was he afraid for his own life and was hiding by himself?  Thomas wasn’t a coward.  We saw he was willing to die with Jesus.  Maybe he was disappointed and just wanted to isolate himself.  

I can be one of those people sometimes. I just want to hide from the problem and not work it out.  You isolate yourself and just want everything to go away.  But it never does, you have to face your problems and the sooner the better.  But this doesn’t fit Thomas.  I think Thomas was overwhelmed by the death of Jesus, over come with the reality of his death.  He had to be alone, to sort through what had happened.  He was desperately trying to come to grips with an incredible life changing event.  Thomas followed Jesus I believe with His whole heart and to see Jesus die shattered his world.  Nothing was right.   

A Week Later v.24

Thinking along those lines the events a week later makes sense.  The disciples are excited about what had happened but Thomas refuses to believe.  I think he is so fearful to let go, to make himself venerable again to Jesus was too much.

You can hear Thomas emphatically saying, “If I don't see the mark of the nails in His hands, put my finger into the mark of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will never believe!  

          -Peace

A week later the disciples are sitting in a room to together again, with the door locked again.  So they are still fearful, their faith is still wavering and Jesus stands among them.  Again His first words are “Shalom” “Peace to you”.  Not having been present during the conversations with Thomas, Jesus knew what had been said and he knew exactly how to turn the doubts of Thomas into unswerving faith. 

          -Believe

He turns to Thomas, “put your fingers in the holes in hands, see where they pounded the nails, and put your hand in my side where the soldier pierced me.  Thomas stop unbelieving and believe!”  Jesus does two wonders for Thomas, firstly He meets Thomas.  The resurrected Lord now stands before him and secondly He meets Thomas’s demands for faith.  Jesus didn’t have to do either, but he did. 

All of this again overwhelms Thomas, Jesus standing in front of him, meeting his demands, he responds with a profound statement.  

My Lord, My God! v.28

Thomas declares “My Lord, My God!  Thomas expressed the fullest and clearest faith.  For Thomas a Jewish man to make such a claim, to use both ‘kyros’ and ‘theos’ at the same time together, both words are titles for deity, is amazing!   Thomas is declaring Jesus Christ is both Lord and God.  He did this in front of all the other disciples.  The other disciples whose own faith was fragile and shaky at best, seeing Thomas’ reaction must have greatly strengthened them. 

Jesus closes with this statement, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed. Those who believe without seeing are blessed”. John closes this portion of his gospel with this statement.  The reaction of Thomas and its effect are still lingering in the air.  It is a statement to us, to all those who haven’t physically seen the post resurrected Lord.  Thomas’s declaration is the climax of the book because it presents Christ as the risen Lord, victorious over sin, sorrow, doubt and death! 

It gives us hope because Jesus is alive!  He is alive!  

He’s alive! 

He is the Son of God, through Thomas’s experience we can throw away our own doubts and we can believe.  We can know the Lord we follow is truly the Lord, He did defeat sin, He did defeat death and I truly have a new life in Him.  I can trust Him with everything!  I can put my faith in Jesus Christ, for He is alive, He is alive!     

The disciples were never the same after the resurrection.  After the coming of the Holy Spirit they would go out to the corners of the known world and proclaim Christ boldly.  All of them but one was martyred according to tradition.  Thomas is believed to have traveled to India where he was killed by a spear.  We are sitting here today because of the impact of the resurrection.  Thomas touched the risen savior; He proclaimed Him Lord and God.  All of them were willing die for that truth.